Retaining Walls in Lakeview

A lot of new construction in this area is infill: an older house comes down and a larger one goes up on the same lot, often with a deeper basement and a higher first floor. The new house frequently ends up sitting above the original ground, and the side yards are where that shows. Your side can finish a foot or more above the bungalow next door, and a sloped strip of soil isn't going to hold that for long.

A side-yard wall in that situation has two jobs at once. It holds the height difference, and it controls where the water goes. Drainage between houses is a sensitive subject, and a new wall shouldn't push your runoff onto a neighbour who was there first. The usual answer is clear stone and a perforated pipe behind the wall, carrying water toward the front or rear and away from both foundations. Narrow side yards also mean smaller equipment and careful staging of materials.

At the front, planter walls along the walkway soften a tall new foundation and step the grade down toward the street. They can be built from the same stone as the steps and driveway border. Some lots near the lake sit on sandy or filled ground, so the footing is dug until it reaches firm soil. If a wall is over 1 m of exposed height and borders the public sidewalk, the Ontario Building Code treats it as a designated structure that needs a permit. Lots close to the shoreline or a creek can also be regulated by Credit Valley Conservation or TRCA, depending on where they sit.